Relentless
by plasticbears
Summary: He thought she would be like fire, taking the law and politics scene by storm. She thought that they would always remain cold. But Draco Malfoy was persistent, and Hermione Granger doesn't have much of a fight. / NON-MAGICAL AU, DRAMIONE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, this is a NON-MAGIC AU DRAMIONE FANFICTION. If you do not like non-magic AU's, its okay. If you don't like Dramione, why are you reading this story? Click or tap the 'x' button now, love. My name's Reese and this is my first fanfiction. The chapters are inspired from various songs that I happened to listen to while writing. Have a listen, if you wish. Go easy on me!**

 ** _/RELENTLESS/_**

' _Tonight we look into the eyes of the strangers we've become, with that we lift the weight of time. Tonight we say the words that are due to each other- can you pretend like you lived one life for my love?'_

 _{Parks – Up Dharma Down}_

She never really expected things to go to in a downward spiral.

Hermione Jean Granger was sitting down on her brown leather couch. She had it since she was in college, she had fallen in love with it when she saw it in a yard sale. It reminded her of home.

The couch was now quite worn, just like her.

It had been a year since she graduated from Hogwarts. She took up Political Sciences, being interested in the field. Hermione had been a passionate student, going to different seminars, participating in student campaigns, and filing petitions for different causes. She wanted to make a difference, and she did. But here she was now; it was as if Hogwarts kept her enthusiasm when she graduated. Maybe it was because she was jobless. Maybe it was because there weren't many opportunities to actually do something. Hermione sighed. She felt inactive. Useless.

 _You aren't going to feel down today,_ Hermione. She thought. She stood up and went to the kitchen. The floorboards creaked with every step. Hermione liked it- she didn't really like the silence of the house that she shared with Ron Weasley. They moved in together after their second anniversary, a week before graduation, right after Crookshanks succumbed to old age. They had been the 'Golden Couple'. She remembered the late night walks around the campus, trying to avoid Argus Filch, sneaking a few snogs here and there. They were inseperable. They started out as best friends, along with Harry Potter, the poor kid turned It-Boy. Harry actually helped them get together, locking Ron and Hermione in a large closet, forcing him to 'tell Hermione the thing' and threatening not to let them out, even if it took days. It took four hours for Ron to confess that he liked her. She told him that she liked him back, and long story short, they got together and haven't broken up since.

She plugged in the coffee maker that Ron gotten for her during her nineteenth birthday.

Ron felt like her house, he was familiar, he was caring, and he was there when she needed him. Hermione loved him, and Ron didn't decline on being the perfect boyfriend. He gave her flowers every week. She didn't really like flowers, but she thought it was such a sweet gesture. She loved running her fingers through his red hair. Now, Hermione thought it was rather silly, because his hair was now dry because he never conditioned it, even if she nagged and nagged and nagged.

Hermione was quite the nagger, a nitpick; and she knew it. She was meticulous as hell- she preferred everything to be in top shape, she frequently rechecked things and arranged objects. Ron thought she had Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because of her pristine routine. She pressed a button. Hot coffee poured in her cup. Hermione absentmindedly drummed her nails on the counter.

Sure, there were fights here and there, but Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were perfect, The top student and the top athlete, well, next to Draco Malfoy anyway, but he was irrelevant. She never heard from him after graduation, and there wasn't much of a civil relationship to begin with. Draco Malfoy was a school bully. He would torment her in her early college years because of her hand- me-downs, so she was thankful when Hogwarts implemented school uniforms. It got worse when he knew about her parents struggling. Draco, when he wasn't addressing her by her surname, called her that horrible nickname.

Mudblood.

She knew she came from a poor family. She got in Hogwarts because of a scholarship. Hogwarts provided psychological aptitude tests and an interview when people get accepted. They would then be sorted into Houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. The Houses were implemented so that they would get along with the people in their dormitories. Hermione got into Gryffindor, along with Ron and Harry. Most of her friends were from Gryffindor too- and her enemies from Slytherin. Most Slytherins made fun of her, but she suspected it was because Draco Malfoy convinced them to.

The audible squeak from the door woke Hermione from her reminiscing daydream.

"Hi, 'Mione." Ron stepped inside the house, smiling at her. Hermione noticed that he wasn't wearing his suit.

"Long day at work?" She took her cup of coffee and relished the smell of it.

"Yeah." He set his bag down the table. Hermione stopped drinking her coffee. "What happened to your suitcase?"

Ron was quite startled. "Suitcase?"

"You were lugging a suitcase earlier." She placed her coffee on the counter.

"Oh, you were awake?" Ron went to their bedroom and took a clean shirt from the wooden dresser.

Hermione followed him, forgetting about the cup of coffee. "I was awake. Why'd you have a suitcase?"

"I wanted to bring some stuff to the office, and my bag wasn't big enough, so I put it in my suitcase." Ron smiled sheepishly, looking aimlessly at the laptop and the diplomas framed on Hermione's study table. It wasn't that he was intimidated by her intelligence; he just wanted to be a breadwinner for once. He started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Why didn't you let me pack your stuff for you?" Hermione asked. "You pack really messy."

Ron sighed. Hermione was quite a hassle. He just wanted to be alone.

"Because..." Ron put on his shirt. "Because I didn't wanna wake you, beautiful."

He kissed her. "You seemed so tired yesterday, I really didn't want to bother you."

"You wouldn't bother me." Hermione pouted indignantly. "I would do anything for you."

Ron couldn't help but smile. She loved him so, so, so much.

"I'll make dinner tonight, 'Mione." Ron kissed her again.

"I love you, Ron."

Ron closed the door behind him.

Hermione sat down on their bed. He wasn't wearing his regular suit. Maybe he had left it at work?

At work. That was always his excuse, and Hermione believed him, despite the tugging and knotting of her stomach. She ignored it and opened her laptop. It was on sleep mode. Ron probably forgot to shut it off. She sat down and quickly typed in her password. No use lying around, she thought. Google was open, along with numerous tabs. She was going to check her emails, to see if she got accepted into any firms. Hermione had sent out her application forms and resume last week, so she would be probably hear from them today.

Two new messages.

She gingerly clicked on her inbox.

 **From: Eulysses & Crowehart, Attorneys at Law To: Hermione Granger **

**Subject: Job Application**

 **Good Day,**

 **Eulysses & Crowehart regret to inform you that the application you sent for the position of Head Attorney was denied. Your credentials were in fact, very impressive, but sadly, too conspicuous for a prestigious firm like ours. **

**Our deepest regrets, Eulysses & Crowehart **

Hermione's shoulders slumped. They were talking about her campaigns. She had wanted to stop prejudice in the political system as well as political dynasties. They probably had her listed off from the biggest firms. She now had a taste of what she was going up against.

She erased the email, sighing. She combed through her thick hair, which was once bushy and unmanageable in college. Her tresses wear now wavy and soft, thanks to her best friend Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister. Ginny worked as a hairdresser in the city. She finally convinced Hermione to get her hair treated during senior year, for a 'fresh new look'. Hermione never regretted that decision.

There was one more email left. "More rejection, huh."

 **From: Abraxas Law Firm To: Hermione Granger**

 **Subject: Firm Application Miss Granger,**

 **We are eager to inform you that your application is up for consideration. You are to be scheduled for an interview with our Head, Mr. Draco Malfoy at August 15, 2015, 9:00 AM at the Abraxas Law Firm Building. Please reply to for further confirmation. Good luck, Miss Granger.**

 **Abraxas Law Firm**

Her eyes widened. Draco Malfoy! Malfoy owned Abraxas? No, she wasn't going to that interview. Definitely not. It was definitely her pride that was stopping her, she was about to face one of her college tormentors, and Hermione wasn't about to face the devil unemployed and with no work experience. She had always dreamt of the day that she could say "In your face" to Malfoy, just to prove to him that he was wrong and she was worth something, more than what he ever made her feel.

She closed the tab.

Her lips parted in shock.

She couldn't speak. She couldn't think.

Ron had left his Facebook on.

Hermione had seen the messages.

Meet me after your work, she said.

I'll go out early for you, baby. he replied.

I love you, Ron. Isla Piperwood had typed.

 _I love you too._ Ron Weasley said.

Hermione closed the tab.

Numb, she went back to her email account. She hit 'Compose'. With shaking fingers, she typed.

 **To: Draco Malfoy**

 **From: Hermione Granger**

 **Subject: Abraxas Law Firm Application**

 ** _Hello, Mr. Malfoy._**

 **A/N:**

 **SO THAT WAS MY FIRST CHAPTER OF MY FIRST FANFIC! Tell me what you guys think; please do review, it'll give me some motivation to continue this story. Thank you!**

 **\- Reese**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: HELLO! Fast updates for now since I'm breezing through college :) I'm taking some of your reviews into count and applying them to make my story better, so thank you, thank you, thank you for reviewing!**

 **Ramyfan: I'm actually working on that :) I know its going to turn out so cliche if I go with the usual "poor Hermione" route, I've decided to add the backstory in bits and not all at once, so maybe the readers can do a so called "first impression" on the characters then you guys can gradually know them better- characters can be really deep! :D**

 _"Maybe I got more to lose, and I can't decipher you."_  
 _{Undiscovered - Laura Welsh}_

He was not expecting a reply.

The consideration for the spot was to test the waters, to see if she would take the bait.

And she did.

Draco Malfoy was pleasantly surprised. He was sitting in the backseat of his car, checking emails and reviewing cases. The pitter patter of the rain eased him a little.

"Alois," Draco started. "To the library near Westminster please."

Alois, his driver, simply nodded.

It was exactly four days since the firm sent her that consideration letter. He thought she would simply dismiss it- other firms almost as big as his were probably on her heels.

He hadn't heard about her in a year. He had expected her to take the political scene by storm, appearing in various headlines, and maybe even in a scandal. But there was nothing, there was no fire, no bushy-haired Gryffindor. It was as if Hogwarts took her spark with it.

The last time that Draco saw her was during graduation. He didn't attend the ceremony; he had stayed in the car. He was about to go out and throw on his robes because fuck it- it was graduation. But students came pooling out of the gates and he decided otherwise. She came out holding a diploma in one hand and Weasel's hand on the other, and four medals on her neck.

For a second, Draco Malfoy thought about how she was doing.

He had a slight crush on her during third year, but that was his hormones talking, probably because Pansy Parkinson refused to "satisfy" him back then. Granger had a better grip at life then, her parents became dentists, he had heard. They quickly became well-off, but gossip says that she refused to give up the scholarship.

That girl. Draco closed his laptop. Always has something to prove. And she was damn good at getting that point across.

Draco Malfoy was too- but he had nothing more to prove, everything had been proven for him, his inheritance, his prestigious family, the Malfoy political dynasty. His parents were not exactly pleased with him becoming an attorney. His father, Lucius, wanted him to run for a position in the city state, or maybe even the Senate, but Draco refused. It was the work of the counsel that was for him. However, Narcissa, his mother supported him.

 _"Do whatever feels right to you. Sometimes you don't have to think about it."_ His mother would always say to him. His father, although disapproving, allowed it. Awkward dinners were a small price to pay for his dreams.

But he had made it- in a span of a year, combining hard work, sweat, and a whole lot of money, he was now head of his own firm, which was also one of the leading agencies in the law world.

The car stopped, the rain still fell in small, unintimidating drops. He thanked Alois, took a green umbrella that was sitting beside him, and went out.

The library was cozy, it had two floors, worn shelves, and loads of old books. It had a small fireplace at the corner, a few knick knacks here and there, and a loveseat. It not exactly a place you would expect to see a Malfoy in, but this was still his favourite place to study in, nevertheless.

The clerk noticed him and muttered a 'good morning'. Draco nodded curtly. He saunters over the second shelf to his left, taking a fairly thick book and pores over it. He could get some last minute reading in.

His phone buzzes, much to his annoyance.

Draco closes his eyes and ignores the buzzing.

 _Buzz._

 _Buzz._

 _Buzz_

He sighs.

He takes his phone out of his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Drakey!"

"I swear to God, Zabini. Don't ever use that nickname or I'll see to it that your mouth is sewn shut."

Draco heard Blaise take a deep breath. "Why so serious, Drake? Where are you?"

"Library near Westminster. Reading."

"More law shit?" The Italian chuckled. He was his best friend ever since he stepped into Hogwarts. The Zabinis were also one of the more prominent political dynasties along with the Malfoys. But Blaise was never really into politics, instead, he managed another family business- five-star hotels.

"Damn Malfoy, did Hogwarts suck the fun outta you? You sound like..." He paused "What was her name?"

"Granger."

"Yeah, her!" Zabini laughed, his tone rich in amusement. " _You had a crush on her!"_

Draco's eyebrows knotted. "Yes, Zabini. I had a crush on her." When they were in college, he would have smacked the living daylights out of Blaise for insinuating his previous infatuation for the bookish girl. But he was over it.

"You aren't going to let me live that down any time soon, huh?" Draco put the book back. He sees a small pocketbook by the loveseat and picks it up. Wuthering Heights.

"Nope." He could feel Zabini grinning from the other line. "Anyways, there's a soiree happening tonight at Zabini Hotel's London Branch. You're coming, of course?"

"Drinks, actual music, and beautiful girls in accentuating dresses." Draco had a little twinkle in his eye. "My favourite."

"That's a yes then?"

"Definitely."

 _Clack, clack, clack._

There was a light shower of rain, and people were hustling to get home. Hermione's heels thumped against the pavement. She had forgotten her copy of Wuthering Heights in the library near Westminster Abbey. She was usually attentive. But then again, she wasn't able to sleep for a few days.

She should have seen the signs.

The wrinkles on his collar. His swollen lips. His subtle unattentiveness.

Ron had given her roses last week asking her to go to a soiree with him- she hated roses- he knew that Hermione preferred peonies. But she agreed anyway, she knew she was the default "date" for work gatherings.

She huffed indignantly. She wasn't about to cry in the middle of the street with people pushing against her. Hermione was trying to go against the current of people who were hurrying home, a flood of various coloured umbrellas hitting each other.

Her shoulder collides with someone's arm.

"Sorry." she mumbled. Her heels were beginning to wear her out. Why on earth did she decide on wearing five inches?

Hermione finally reached the library. It was warm and felt like home. It was her solace when things were rough, since Ginny was pretty busy and well... she was her only friend.

She smiled at the clerk. The clerk gave her a friendly wave. Hermione walked over the second shelf to her left, deciding to pick up a fairly thick book about law. She mentally scolds herself, remembering her reason why she was here.

 _Pocketbook. Okay._

She takes the thick book and walks over the loveseat on her right.

" _Oh_."

Her face distorts into confusion. _Oh dear._

Her pocketbook was gone.

 **A/N: Oh dear indeed. Will they ever bump into each other? Reviews keep me going. Thanks guys! :)**


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